- With all the collective bargaining hullabaloo of late, it’s hard to imagine a more opportune time for the release of Terry Moe’s new book, Special Interest: Teacher Unions and America’s Public Schools. Weighing in at over 500 pages, the hefty Brookings Institution Press volume goes in depth on the causes and consequences of teacher unions’ power in America’s schools, as well as the long-term sustainability (or not) of that power. Fordham’s own Checker Finn reviewed the book here.
- “Save great teachers” is the tag line of “How layoffs hurt students,” the latest video from Michelle Rhee’s Students First advocacy organization. The two-minute video gives a brief but vivid introduction to LIFO, then explains the inadequacies of LIFO and encourages viewers to petition their elected officials to end it.
- The top ed policy minds and hottest ed policy issues come together in the PIE Network’s latest publication, Schools in High Gear: Reforms That Work When They Work Together, a compilation of essays on topics like school performance, teacher quality, and education funding. Among the contributors are Fordham’s own Checker Finn and Mike Petrilli, with articles on academic standards and school choice policies, respectively.
- Are bonuses a useful tool for encouraging the best teachers to work in “challenging schools”? The Center on Reinventing Public Education’s latest report, What Does Washington State Get for Its Investment in Bonuses for Board Certified Teachers? tackles the question head-on. According to the report, Washington’s bonus system encouraged more teachers to get certified, but few certified teachers are going to the state’s toughest schools.
